History Spotlight: Captain tells his tale of the great storm of 1913

5:51 AM,
Oct. 12, 2013

Written by

Catharine Hadley
Staff writer

During a horrible storm nearly a century ago, a ship sailed through this area and was nearly lost in Lake Erie.

In his book "Freshwater Fury, Yarns and Reminisces of the Greatest Storm in Inland Navigation," author Frank Barcus tells the tale of the storm that began on Nov. 9, 1913. It destroyed 19 ships and stranded 19 others.

Barcus quoted the captain of the Susquehanna, which came into harbor at Detroit the following Tuesday. The trip took nearly 50 hours. ...